Jai Courtney
| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | alma_mater = Cherrybrook Technology High School, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts | residence = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor | yearsactive = 2005–present }} Jai Stephen Courtney ( ; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film Jack Reacher (2012). He went on to star in A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and I, Frankenstein (2014) and The Exception (2016). Courtney had a recurring role as Varro in the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010). He played Eric in the science fiction action film Divergent (2014), and in 2015, he reprised the role in the sequel, Insurgent. He portrayed Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys and DC Comics villain Captain Boomerang in the 2016 film Suicide Squad and the 2021 sequel The Suicide Squad. Early life Courtney was born in on 15 March, 1986, in Sydney, New South Wales, and grew up in Cherrybrook, a suburb of Sydney. His father, Chris, worked for a state-owned electricity company, and his mother, Karen, was a teacher at Galston Public School, where Courtney and his older sister were students. He then attended Cherrybrook Technology High School and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, graduating in 2008. Career Courtney's first role was in a 2005 short film titled Boys Grammar which also starred Daniel Feuerriegel and Adam J. Yeend. In 2008, Courtney had a role in the Australian series Packed to the Rafters, then a guest lead in the popular All Saints, the comedy feature To Hell & Bourke and several short films. In 2010, he played Varro in Spartacus: Blood and Sand for 10 episodes, before starring in Jack Reacher in 2012 with Tom Cruise and in A Good Day to Die Hard with Bruce Willis as John McClane's son, Jack. In 2014, he appeared in the film I, Frankenstein as Gideon, leader of the gargoyle army and in Felony as Jim Melic. Courtney played Eric, one of the leaders of the faction Dauntless, in the film Divergent (2014). Later, he starred in Unbroken, where he played Hugh "Cup" Cuppernell and The Water Diviner as Lt. Col. Hughes. He reprised his role of Eric in the sequel The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), which began filming May 2014 and was released 20 March 2015. Courtney played one of the leads, Kyle Reese, in the science fiction action film Terminator Genisys. Filming on Terminator Genisys began in April/May 2014, and the film was released on 1 July 2015. Courtney worked on Terminator and Insurgent concurrently. Courtney provided backing vocals on the Pinch Hitter song "All of a Sudden" from their debut album, When Friends Die in Accidents. In March 2015, Courtney signed on to play Captain Boomerang in the DC Comics film Suicide Squad, alongside Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. Filming began in April 2015 and the film was released in August 2016. As of March 29, 2019, Courtney announced that he was returning to portray Captain Boomerang in James Gunn's sequel, The Suicide Squad. Personal Life Courtney dated former Neighbours star Gemma Pranita from 2006 until 2013, and Terminator Genisys costar Emilia Clarke from February to June 2015. He has been dating Australian model Mecki Dent since 2016. Filmography Film Television Theatre References External links * Category:1986 births Category:21st-century Australian male actors Category:Australian male film actors Category:Australian male television actors Category:Australian expatriate male actors in the United States Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Sydney